


ready to stand

by Setkia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abuse, Bokuto's a prince, Fluff and Angst, M/M, in case you were wondering Akaashi's the mermaid, mermaid au, there is still volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setkia/pseuds/Setkia
Summary: Originally posted on my Tumblr (setkia.tumblr.com, the awkward introvert (who writes). “There's no one down there, please get away from the edge Bokuto-sama, your father will worry.”Toss it?Keiji stares at the ball. How did the man do it? Keiji takes the ball and throws it up, quickly placing his hands above his head. With a fluid motion Keiji didn't know he possessed, the ball sails over the side of the boat and then—SLAM!“That's gotta be the best toss I've ever received!”He hit it?Keiji blinks but it's true. The ball sailed over the rail and the boy jumped, aiming at the other side. It hit the deck loudly and he's sure he can still hear it bounce if he strains his ears a bit.The boy's face appears again over the railing and Keiji is struck by how golden his eyes are.“Hey hey hey, thanks for the toss!”





	1. the boy with the ball

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my name is Setkia, perhaps I could've mentioned this with my first post. I am a writer who writes for various fandoms, the majority of which are on my fanfiction dot net account (under the same name) but the volleyball boys have stolen my heart (I HAVEN'T FINISHED SEASON 2, I'M HALF-WAY DONE, PLEASE NO SPOILERS, GOTTA HURRY NOW THAT SEASON 3 IS OUT!!). I don't own Haikyūu. I put all my other stories on pause because the plot bunnies that this series attacked me with were too much to handle. Credit has to go to queenkazma on Tumblr, my new friend from France who got us talking about what would happen if the Haikyūu pairings we adored became parts of a fairy tale. I did some tweaking, this isn't exactly the Little Mermaid, other tags will probably be added as we go. The chapters will get longer over time. The first 3 are posted on Tumblr as well. Check me out if you want, I'm willing to edit and learn from everyone! Gosh, I don't know if I've ever seen such a welcoming fandom. I will thank those who review and kudos and bookmark (if I can keep track of who did it when) and in the end will thank you on a whole because I believe an author is in part made up of their readers. So thank you guys and if you want to find me on Tumblr, you can and I love talking to people, so send me a message whenever.

They say he has a strange fascination with the ones from above.

With the way they put it, you'd think it was a bad thing. It's not that Keiji hasn't heard the stories of the ones who walk on land, the ones who have killed so many of his own kind, the ones who do so many things carelessly and without thought. It's just that unlike everyone else he isn't scared, he's curious. He's been told before that curiosity is a trait possessed by those above, and down here in the depths of the ocean it's much more fitting to be safe. One cannot be both curious and safe, it's a choice between discovery and safety. 

So maybe Keiji likes to sneak out and see the world above on the occasion. It's not like there's anything that's holding him back, he can still breathe above water. Sometimes he just floats and looks at the sky, sometimes he finds a rock and feels what the word “dry” means. Well, after he sits for a while. He's gotten good at climbing up rocks. On these occasions there's more often than not nothing to see. He's intrigued by the possibility of finding that which they call “human” and he has yet to see one.

Until today.

It's a ship. Keiji has only ever seen sunken ones before but this one is different. It glides on the water (something he cannot understand) and on it it holds numerous people, namely a captain (he's pretty sure that's the right word) and a boy. A boy who Keiji just can't seem to take his eyes off of.

“How many times have I told you Bokuto-sama, it's inappropriate for you to play like this while out on deck!”

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me  Kōtarō ?” says the boy with a silly grin on his face. What draws Keiji's attention in is his hair. It's wild and crazy and strangely coloured and it doesn't look like anyone else on this ship has hair like it with streaks of grey in it, spiking up high. And he's playing with something. A ... ball?

“Come on, toss to me!” says the boy with a big grin on his face.

“I don't think it's appropriate to—”

“Pleeeease?”

The man sighs and takes the ball from the strange boy's hands. “Only once, Bokuto-sama.”

“Of course,” says the boy with a look that Keiji suspects means he plans on asking plenty more times when it's over. 

Keiji watches in fascination as the ball is thrown up high into the air. Why would the boy want that? It just makes it harder to touch that way—

And then he jumps.

Keiji has never seen a human's legs before and even so he finds grace in this boy's movements (even without anything to compare it to). He launches himself off the planks of the deck and though Keiji doesn't understand what he's doing, he thinks it's beautiful as he lifts his arm and then—

_SPLASH!_

The ball hits the boy's palm and zooms into the water, splashing Keiji.

“Shit!” 

“Language, Bokuto-sama!”

“Man overboard!”

“It's just a ball,” says the man.

Keiji stares at the ball as it floats in the water next to him. Gingerly he takes it in his hands. It has weird patterns on it. He doesn't understand it.

“Hey, anyone down there?”

“Leave the ball alone Bokuto-sama, we can buy you a new one.”

“But I want _that_ ball!” Then Keiji watches in fascination as the boy leans over the side of the boat. “Hey hey hey! If there's anyone down there, toss it back, will you?”

“There's no one down there, please get away from the edge Bokuto-sama, your father will worry.”

_Toss it?_

Keiji stares at the ball. How did the man do it? Keiji takes the ball and throws it up, quickly placing his hands above his head. With a fluid motion Keiji didn't know he possessed, the ball sails over the side of the boat and then—

_SLAM!_

“That's gotta be the best toss I've ever received!”

_He hit it?_

Keiji blinks but it's true. The ball sailed over the rail and the boy jumped, aiming at the other side. It hit the deck loudly and he's sure he can still hear it bounce if he strains his ears a bit.

The boy's face appears again over the railing and Keiji is struck by how golden his eyes are. 

“Hey hey hey, thanks for the toss!”

Almost immediately Keiji dives back under the water.

He's been seen.

His father is going to be mad.


	2. the one they call "King"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Haikyūu, technically I have a few chapters ready which means updating'll happen a bit faster but it'll slow down eventually. I just want to clarify something here, since there IS someone with the title of king in this chapter. He is NOT Kageyama. Now here's where the abuse tag comes into play. I wanted to spice up the Little Mermaid and so this is what happened. 2 chapters in one day because this is a dual narration thing and so odd are Keiji, even are Koutarou.

“Welcome back Bokuto-sama!”

Kōtarō bows as he knows he's supposed to and smiles at the large welcoming party who have come to greet him at the docks. His companion for the trip has taken his ball from him and without it his hands feel empty. His palm is still burning from the touch of that toss and he's grinning like an idiot. He knows if they find out what he's smiling about they'll smack him silly.

A prince shouldn't be so giddy over such a simple game.

Kōtarō has barely made it to the end of the dock when everyone parts (some people crashing into each other and falling off the rather small dock, which he feels bad about since he knows only seventy-five percent of the kingdom can swim and it's highly unlikely any of the peasants here are in that percentile). 

It's Father.

Because who else do they part for?

“Son.”

“Father.”

The tension in the air is palpable.

“How was your trip?”

“Fine.”

The King nods curtly. “Well—”

“I've been gone six months, the least you can say is you missed me.”

The King turns to him sharply and Kōtarō knows he's misspoken even if his words are true. “And why should I do that?”

Kōtarō swallows. “Because I'm your son.” He hopes his voice doesn't shake.

“Barely.” His eyes move from Kōtarō’s sweaty self (playing around is a bit of a work out), his knee pads (they almost look like long shorts, he doesn't know why he's being so judgemental) and finally his hair. He doesn't do a double take, not like everyone else did when Kōtarō decided about four months ago to spice things up. “Let's go.”

Kōtarō follows him slowly and silently. Looking on either side of him he can see the peasants floating in the water, some with forced smiles, some in the process of drowning. Kōtarō drops to his knees and reaches out, grabbing for the closest woman's hand as she gulps in water and struggles to remain above water. If he can't save them all, he'll save one—

_SMACK!_

Koutarou's hand stings, but he keeps it where it is. Father's whip is nothing new to him. He leans over the dock and pulls harder on her hand, the desperation in her eyes driving him onwards. He can feel his father's eyes on him, harsh and judgemental but he ignores him and continues. When he's finally pushed her up and onto the dock, she's crying tears of joy. Kōtarō can't look at those who are sinking so he focuses on her, the one he could save.

“Thank you, Bokuto-sama, you are a kind soul!”

And then Kōtarō watches in horror as the King shoves her back into the water and grabs Kōtarō by his arm, his grip tight and painful. He sees the confusion in the woman's eyes and the fear as she plummets back into the merciless depths of the water.

“We have to wash that disgusting filth off of you,” says Father.

“But she—”

“People die, that's the way it goes.”

“But she could've lived!”

The King turns to him sharply and growls. “We will discuss this later, when we're not in such a public setting.”

Kōtarō looks down at him as he's being dragged. He's not that dirty. Sweaty, yes, sprinkles of dirt on his shirt from diving, but he's otherwise clean. And to his horror he realizes what his father meant by filth.

Kōtarō hates Father. 

He really does.

If this is what a king is, Kōtarō never wants to be king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay now the thank-yous, as promised. Since it's only been one chapter, I don't think this is a bad turnout at all. Also, it's my first attempt at BokuAka, so yeah ......  
> So first, the comments:  
> Thanks to  
> emma: I just kinda imagine Bokuto is this really hyperball of energy (well, he IS) and he'd be the one who isn't doing his princely duties, just kinda playing around when he shouldn't be.  
> Thanks to nundundu, Reikyuu and FandomMaster6001, as well as the 7 guests who gave this story kudos.  
> And also thanks to FreakyBubble who bookmarked.  
> Okay this might be a bit hard, to do thanks every time. Thanks for reviews will constantly happen, a thanks for kudos and others will be done when the story's done cause it's hard to keep track.


	3. the son of the sea witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Haikyūu. Um, here's chapter 3. And uh ... yeah.

Keiji's hand tingles.

It was only a second, a fleeting moment of touch between his fingertips and the damp fabric of the ball, but he can't forget it. He spends quite some time just staring at his palm, imagining the sphere in his hand, but he's not quite sure what it looks like. He's seen it more as a blur than as an actual object. It was a mix of colours though.

It doesn't take long for him to start obsessing.

How can he recreate that feeling? He wants to know how the boy jumped, he wants to know what it feels like to have the ball hit his palm as harshly as it hit his. He wants to know what it feels like to lift his tail out of the weight of the water. What does it feel like to be weightless? He looked like he was flying. Keiji wants to learn how to fly.

Soon he's playing with the sand at the bottom of the sea. It sticks together but it doesn't hold. He can't even toss it too much, it won't compact enough to make a ball of equivalent size. He can't very well ask for materials to make a ball like he's now seen. His father would be mad.

So long as his father doesn't know he'll be fine and it's not like he's supposed to be some sort of role model for the rest of them. He can do this. So long as no one finds out.

And then one day he asks Kuroo.

Kuroo is the crafty son of the resident sea-witch. Keiji is pretty sure if he asks, Kuroo will make him a ball, and make one without questioning him. 

He's wrong.

“Why do you want a ball? Play with the sand, or seaweed. Why do you want to play at all?” Kuroo eyes him, looking up and down. Keiji knows that look, when Kuroo leers like that it means he's plotting. 

“It's just a ball,” says Keiji. “It's not that much trouble, is it?”

“But you see my dear, it is. It's ... troublesome. You must know that. What makes you think I'll go out of my way to make you a ball? Full of ... air, is it? What use is it under the water? It'll just be pulled up.” Kuroo snickers. “Where did you hear of such a thing?”

“A fish told me.”

Kuroo knows he's lying. It's the oldest trick in the book. 

“You went Up, didn't you?”

Keiji's expression remains neutral but he knows that he still can't fool Kuroo. He's known for his manipulative ways and knack for making deals and wagers. 

“What's it like up there? What's the sunlight feel like on your skin? What does it mean to be dry? What does it mean to have legs? What is walking? You're curious. Curiosity down here is a sin.”

Keiji grits his teeth. “If you don't want to help me—”

“Who did you see?”

Keiji freezes.

“Who did you see up there that you want to play with a ball? Balls don't just float this far out, you saw someone.” Kuroo's malicious grin spreads. “Who was it?”

“No one.”

“We can't have that now,” says Kuroo, clicking his tongue. “You're lying to me. Do you know what sea-witches do to liars?” He grabs Keiji by his hair and pulls him back, looking straight into his eyes. The darkness of his pupils seems to dilate and then he can feel him, feel Kuroo in his mind.

When he pulls away Kuroo is smirking. “He's a looker, isn't he? Alright, I'll let you play with your ball. But first, I'm gonna need a trade.”

_Trade?_

“You're a silent kind of guy. You won't miss it much.”

Keiji is confused but then Kuroo holds his throats and squeezes. He can feel his vision failing him, can feel his strength weakening. A golden mist leaves his mouth and he's not sure what it is until suddenly it's completely gone and then—

Keiji can't breathe.

He flails his arms and tries to swim up, but his tail won't— he looks down and there's legs. Legs. They're long and strange and he doesn't know what to do with them. With random flailing he knows he'll — _drown_. It's never been a threat before.

Kuroo wraps an arm around his stomach and pulls him up to the surface, drags him to a dock and places his fingers around the wooden pole in the water. He's cold, he's never felt so cold before, like tiny bumps are appearing on his skin. His newfound legs are tired and he can barely hold himself up, he has no strength in his body. He doesn't know what to do with them and he feels exposed. 

He wants to ask what he did, so he opens his mouth but—

_I can't speak._

“Equivalent exchange,” says Kuroo with a wide grin. “You can get it back, if you want. But first, you gotta make that boy of yours love you. And from what I've heard, he's royalty.”

And with that, Kuroo leaves him.


	4. the meaning of "mermaid"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Haikyūu. This chapter is longer than the others, I'm trying to make the chapters longer. Anyway this is the first new chapter for those who didn't follow on Tumblr. Also, I just learnt (according to the wiki) that Bokuto's name is spelt Kōtarō and since I like to make things accurate (I spell Tooru as Tōru, as it's spelt on the wiki) I'm changing the way I spell his name. It's still the same name. It makes sense though, the symbol above the o makes it a long o, like "Tooru", or "Koutarou". Anyway, just thought you should know and I'm going back to edit the previous chapters to fix it.

Kōtarō’s ears perk up when he hears it.

_Mermaid._

He sits up straighter in the dingy bar, wraps his disguise tighter around himself and watches as one of the men from a large group of drunkards look left and right before ducking and hissing that one should never say that word while at a port. It's bad luck. He gets up from his spot near the bartender and goes towards the men. 

“Hey hey hey, I heard you talking about mermaids?" 

The fact that there's no sign of recognition in their eyes when they see him (not even a bit) makes him feel better. They're foreigners. And superstitious at that it seems, one of the men grabbing the table salt and throwing it over his shoulder. Kōtarō is no expert but he's pretty sure that's the wrong shoulder.

“Don't say that word Boy,” snaps one of them. “And go and play outside or something. This is grown up talk.”

Kōtarō is being talked down to. It's never happened before. There aren't many people who defy him, no common people, only the King. He's the only one with a rank higher than him after all. He feels a bit bad, a bit guilty, almost like he should back away. He feels ... inferior. But in a good way.

“I wanna hear about it,” says Kōtarō. “I think I saw one,” he adds, just to make sure he has their attention.

It works, but it's not the reaction he expects.

“You better shut your eyes and pretend you haven’t,” says the thin beanpole.

“You're gonna die Boy,” adds the fat one with the beard with a certainty in his voice that shakes him.

“Count your prayers Lil’un.”

Kōtarō frowns. “What?” If he’s right about what he saw, isn’t it amazing? The person Kōtarō saw was beautiful. His hair was dark and stuck out a bit in places and he wore an almost bored expression on his face, but his eyes were clever and calculating and they seemed to send a shiver down his spine. Despite the fact that the exchange was minimal and he’s never heard him speak before, he still finds him to be breathtaking. How can something so beautiful be dangerous? “Why?”

“He's asking why!” one of them laughs, tossing their head back. “Can you believe this guy?”

“Do you know anything about mermaids?” asks the pudgy fat one.

“I've been told they're an old sailor's tale,” says Kōtarō slowly. Sailor tales are never to be trusted though if he’s being honest, even if he spent his childhood clinging to the edge of his seat, listen to the servants whisper stories into his ears when he should be sleeping.

“Well did you know they're the Devil?” quips up the one with the long beard and empty jug of beer.

“Eh?!”

“Yeah, totally evil. They're beautiful creatures you know, mermaids. They lure some of the greatest sailors to the darkest depths of the ocean, drown them. They cause sailing disasters, they're the reason men are scared of the water.”

“All the same ...” one of the men say, their finger circling the brim of his jug, “I'm curious. You're the only one I've ever seen whose survived an encounter with a mermaid. What'd she look like?”

Kōtarō frowns. “I'm pretty sure it was a guy—”

“A guy?” repeats one of them.

Kōtarō nods.

“Then what are you talking about, seeing a mermaid?” snorts one of them.

“No mermaid's male,” says the fat one. “You must be wrong.”

“But ... I'm sure he was—”

“Even if it was, it isn't human,” says the man with the beard. “They're monsters, hiding in human skin. The most terrifying kind of creatures.”

_It._

_“Get_ **_it_ ** _away from me!”_

_“Don't touch_ **_it_ ** _!”_

_“Kill_ ** _it_** _with fire_!”

Kōtarō shivers and brushes the memories aside. “No, I'm certain I saw one!” he insists.

“Then you're wrong, Sonny. Sure you weren't drunk?”

Kōtarō doesn't drink, he's not allowed. The servants don't think he's safe when there's alcohol involved. He shakes his head. “No, he was right there! I'm sure of it!”

“It's a taboo subject anyway, I say you best ignore whatever you thought you saw, mermaid or not,” says the fat one. “It's for your own good.”

With that Kōtarō watches as they leave, sticking Kōtarō with a bill for drinks he hasn't even had.

* * *

  
Kōtarō goes to the dock with his volleyball tucked underneath his arm. He's gonna practice some control and he doesn't need servants telling him it's “un-princely-like”. Though he's sure if he were female this dilemma would be even harder there is still a standard he's held up to, one he cannot imagine ever fitting.

There are many people around him, it’s still very crowded, so he goes about half-way out onto the dock. The first half is filled with pedestrians who just enjoy talking or having coffee, however he knows that otherwise the port isn’t used unless ships come in.

He starts simple with a few tosses. He gains good control, counting fifty successful tosses, then he starts to get daring. He tosses it up higher and watches it drop. Pressing his hands over each other, creating a V with his thumbs, he squares his shoulders and bends his knees. His forearms connect with the ball and he watches as it goes sailing in no specific direction. Quickly he runs after it, and again, he receives it and it goes farther out. 

His control's not bad until it goes farther out in the dock than he can catch so he jumps off the wooden dock backwards and slams it down to the dock, where it rolls.

He feels pretty satisfied until gravity comes into play and he hits the water.

He resurfaces, his hair in his face and is about to climb back up the dock when he sees him.

He's beautiful.

His hair is dark and a bit messy. It curls inwards towards his ears almost reminding him a bit of an elf, his eyes a dark colour that reminds him of stormy grey skies, his body a darker tone than Kōtarō has seen in this country, and his chest ... he's muscular.

“Hey hey hey!”

What. The. Fuck. Is he doing?

Kōtarō looks to the sea, trying to cover up his blush. It's not normal to randomly strike up a conversation with a boy who's holding onto a wooden pole. The clearness of the water relaxes him a bit; for all its faults the Fukurōdani kingdom does have good resources and—

“Holy shit you're naked!”

Kōtarō turns a brand new shade of red and can feel his ears burning. Quickly he takes off his long jacket and holds it out to the boy.

“Take it,” he says.

The boy shakily reaches out, not sure what to do.

Kōtarō will ask how he got there later, right now his only concern is whether or not he can swim and if he'll cover up. The water swells, the jacket feels heavy and he knows it. He treads water to do it up for him, just in case he can't swim and then Kōtarō climbs up the other pole onto the dock and holds out his hand to the boy.

Again, unsteady and unsure the boy reaches out too. Shit. He has pianist fingers. Kōtarō has always wished he could play but with all his playing his fingers have grown callused and rough. 

“You must be freezing, come on.”

Kōtarō wraps an arm around the boy, not caring about personal space. He remembers reading somewhere that body heat is very important for those who are cold. “Sorry I'm wet, sorry the jacket's wet, uh ...” Kōtarō bends down and picks up the ball, tucking it under his arm again. “I'm just gonna ... sorry. I've got fresh clothes back at—” Kōtarō freezes. The boy doesn't seem to recognize him, he's not fawning like the citizens do at times, he's not looking at him in disgust like Father does. 

Kōtarō feels as though for the first time in nineteen years someone is finally seeing him.

He can't spoil that. Can't ruin that with titles, with statuses.

“I work at the palace,” he says. He's never pretended to lower his status before but he's going with it. Anything to feel normal. “I'm going to take you there, okay? You can borrow some of my clothes.”

The boy nods, his teeth chattering.

And another thought occurs to Kōtarō.

He can't let Father see them.

Yes, he's a “kind soul” indeed, isn't he? Dragging an innocent person into such a mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Youkai_Hime (which I just realized translates to Demon Princess, which is AWESOME) for reviewing. I hope I got your interest, that's part of the whole goal of writing the stories!


	5. the one with the new name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Haikyūu, got 5 episodes left of season 2 and then I get to see the hyped up season 3! Iwa-chan, Kuro-chan, Suga-chan, Thighchi-chan, Shitykawa-cha, Bakato-chan, DON'T GRADUATE YOU TEAR OUT MY HEART! Anyway if you guys have ever read me on fanfiction.net, you should know my updating schedule is weird. I'll set up a time to update each week and keep it for maybe 2 and then start posting whenever cause I get really excited about having to show you something so if I have multiple chapters already written you get a hoard of stuff. Anyway, chapter 5!

No one tells Keiji that walking is hard. Thus it makes sense that he's stumbling and tripping over his legs (he's still in wonder about having them) and he can feel the heat of the cobblestone underneath. The soles of his feet (feet, he actually has _feet_!). It doesn't help that he's trying to take in everything he possibly can. There are people walking and talking, children playing, the smell of something he can't identify and a thousand other feelings and sensations he's never felt before. He stumbles into Bokuto-san's side and his scent overpowers him. Something that reminds him almost of seaweed, but not quite. He doesn't know what to compare it to but it's fresh and yet a tad spicy.

He notices that Bokuto-san's ducking his head and seems to be avoiding eye contact and he feels bad; is he causing trouble?

He forgets to breathe, he can admit that, breathing has never been a problem before, it comes naturally under water but above land the new environment causes a shift in his mind and suddenly he's gasping for breath because he forgets to intake air.

They arrive at the gates of the palace, tall and looming and he remembers Kuroo saying something about royalty.

Bokuto-san stares at the gates before grabbing Keiji by his arm (and he's cold, Keiji's skin is cold and wet and he's frozen but Bokuto-san feels warm) and pulling him along the back way or something like that and then they're inside and Keiji feels bad for the water that's dripping from his body. 

“Um ...”

Bokuto-san has a very deep voice, one that shakes his whole body and makes Keiji stand at attention. It's a voice that needs to be listened to, it does weird things to his senses. 

“Sorry for dragging you, I uh ... let's go.”

He motions towards the stairs and suddenly Keiji doesn't want to move.

He doesn't know how to move. Doesn't want to move. He can't put one foot forward and then the next, he's too unbalanced and he knows it. He sees the piece of wood attached to the stairs (he's sure that's the word) and calculates. How to get to it? Can he manage without falling? He walks slowly, Bokuto-san looks nervous and Keiji feels bad and then he grasps the railing and he's holding on for dear life while trying to make his way up the stairs.

Bokuto-san laughs at him and it's a sound that rumbles from his stomach and goes straight to Keiji's toes. He waits patiently but it's obvious Bokuto-san is not used to waiting. Not at all. 

When they're at the top of the stairs, Bokuto-san takes Keiji by the arm. “Are you hurt? You walk a bit funny.”

Keiji supposes “a bit funny” is better than “like you just got legs for the first time and have no idea what to do with them”.

Keiji opens his mouth to speak, but he can't do it. He shakes his head. He's pretty sure he's fine, but there might be something at the bottom of his foot that's piercing him, it may or may not be a bit of wood, and it hurts a bit but he hardly calls that “hurt”. Not after nearly drowning.

Bokuto-san's eyebrows bunch up and he walks alongside him. He guides him to a room, one with a large bed and a large wardrobe.

Kuroo says Bokuto-san is royalty. It makes sense, the big closet, the big room, the bed that looks comfy. He doesn't know why Bokuto-san is lying to him. He's most likely a prince, given his young age.

When Bokuto-san opens his closet however Keiji finds he owns very few professional clothes. The majority of his outfits are composed of something Keiji's pretty sure are called shorts and t-shirts, what he was wearing on the boat. Near the back, pushed to the side, is a grey suit and tie. 

With his hair wet, Bokuto-san's grey spikes fall limp and the top of his head looks lighter than the rest of him. He looks Keiji over quickly before grabbing a t-shirt and shorts and giving them to him.

Keiji stares at them. He's not quite sure what he's supposed to do. He doesn't think it's comfortable, he's cold right now, yes, but he's been drying nicely and the coat is starting to feel itchy on his skin. He takes it off and suddenly Bokuto-san turns red and turns away from him.

“ _A-ahou_ , go to the bathroom and change!”

_What's a bathroom?_

Keiji looks for another room and sees that joined to the bedroom is another door. He pulls it open and finds it very white. Bokuto-san's room is a mix of blue tones but this room is very bland. He steps inside and almost trips and falls down, the sudden cold of the floor sending shivers down his spine. He shuts the door slowly and stares at the shorts and t-shirt. He lifts up his leg and tries to put his leg through the hole in the shirt but it won't fit once it reaches his thigh ( _he has_ _thighs_!) so instead he tries the holes in the shorts. He loses his balance and falls over. 

“You okay?” calls Bokuto-san, sounding worried.

Keiji wants to tell him he's fine but he can't so he opens the door a bit and nods his head before going back to trying to get into the strange clothes. He sits down on the floor and slowly pulls the shorts up his legs. They're big on him.

“Shit, I didn't give you underwear!” And then the door is opening slightly and Bokuto-san throws a new garment into the room.

Keiji stares at it.

What's he supposed to do with that? How many layers does Bokuto-san expect him to wear? It feels weird to wear the clothes. He shrugs and shoves the “underwear” into his pocket before taking the shirt and trying it over his head. It slips over easily and it's also big on him.

He opens the door and walks out to see Bokuto-san sitting on his bed, rocking his legs back and forth. He stares at Keiji and grins widely. “Perfect!”

Keiji doesn't know what Bokuto-san's talking about, but he's grinning a lot so Keiji supposes it's something good.

“So ... you gonna tell me your name?”

_Keiji_.

But he can't say that. So he just shakes his head. He can't. He wants to tell Bokuto-san he can't but that's not how it works so he stays silent as Bokuto circles him slowly and thinks.

“Akaashi.”

_Huh?_

“You look like an Akaashi,” says Bokuto-san. “Spelt with the kanji for that cool owl, you look like one. All wise and shit.”

Keiji has never been called anything other than Keiji. His kind do not have more than one name. 

_Akaashi._

He kinda likes it.

“Now how about you tell me why you were in the water?”

_I can't._

Keiji doesn't want to be rude, he doesn't, but when he can't speak and he's never learnt to write (the thing they call paper is useless under water) he can't communicate with Bokuto-san. Even if he could, how can he explain that the son of a sea witch decided to transform him into a human to play with a ball? It sounds ridiculous. And yet the boy standing in front of him is ridiculous and he's kinda hoping that if he could talk, Bokuto-san would get it. He feels like he would. And though Keiji has never been much of a talker, he really doesn't see the use of words but now that the option of speaking is gone he wishes he could make sounds, manage to speak, manage to tell Bokuto-san everything, anything at all. But he can't.

Bokuto-san waits for his answer though, and Keiji doesn't know what to tell him. How is he supposed to get it across?

And then he's saved from having to say anything when a loud voice booms through the building.

“Where is he?!”

Instantly Bokuto-san stiffens. Keiji feels as though there's something important that he's missing right now but he's not sure what.

“We can finish this conversation later, how about going outside?”

Bokuto-san grabs his arm again and starts to drag him towards the door when it opens and someone steps in, tall and looming. He looks nothing like Bokuto-san but his eyes are the same golden colour.

“Who is he?” demands the one with the golden eyes, glaring at Keiji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thank-yous!  
> Maeve_anbanrion_chonnacht: Yeah ... I just thought the role suited him perfectly. Not everyone's in this story, it's probably just gonna be these 3, can't think of where I can incorporate the others, but I'll try.  
> Youkai_Hime : Even if I write fluff, everyone seems to wonder about whether or not the boys'll turn out okay. SPOILER: I'm a huge fan of making people cry before I make them smile.  
> BiaKawa_Neiji o: I feel like it's a very Kuroo thing to do though. Personally. He's got the look for it.  
> emma : Thank you so much and hello again! I hope you enjoy the story! Bokuto's father isn't anyone in particular, just a douchebag. Bet he's the type to wear sunglasses inside, but then again, so is Kuroo (personally).  
> So I'm not even sure if everyone reads this bit but I do like to ask my readers a question each chapter to get you invested, so yeah, here's the question of the chapter: I know Akaashi's inner-monologues aren't quite like his personality since he seems all stoic, but are they okay? Cause he's kinda new to the whole being a human thing and all ....  
> God it's confusing cause when I write through their perspective I use first names but people rarely ever do that so I don't know if I should be calling them by first or last name and after learning how to spell Bokuto's first name I gotta take time and effort to write it so I'm just kinda not calling him by first name except for in the story, cause Tōru is easy, it's one little line over the o but Kōtarō? That's effort. Anyway sorry, I write long author notes, my friend hates me for it.


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